1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of goods transportation pallets and, more particularly, to a collapsible pallet having molded components for field assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most current shipping pallets are of wooden construction having planks or slats attached to wooden stringers with screws or nails. Typically, fabrication of pallets is accomplished at the shipment site and, if pallets are reused, stacking for return of empty pallets consumes significant volume. Wooden pallets are heavy, significantly adding to shipping weight of the goods stacked on the pallets and constituting a heavy load for empty return. Alternative materials such as metals and plastics have been employed for pallet construction to increase durability, however, empty shipping volume remains a significant issue in pallet reuse.
Stacking and retention of loaded goods on existing pallets is typically accomplished by stacking of goods boxes on the pallet and securing the boxes with metal or plastic strapping. Fiberboard or wooden boxes may slip in relation to one another thereby upsetting the loaded pallet. Interlocking box systems such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,939 entitled Container with Panel Lock have been developed to partially avoid this problem. However, a pallet system for integrated securing of such containers has not been available.
It is therefore desirable for a pallet to be easily assembled from a collapsed condition promoting volume efficient empty shipping. It is further desirable for a pallet to be constructed of light weight materials for both collapsed and loaded shipping weight reduction.
Additionally, it is desirable for a pallet to incorporate integrated securing features to accommodate interlocking box systems.